I’m Not a Scrooge

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• 7 days left--check
• Christmas cards sent--check
• Wrapped the last present—check
• Got ideas for a table setup—check
• Finished the holiday grocery list—check
• Finishing bagging up holiday goodies—check
• Found a good fudge recipe to make for my dad—check
• Made my first homemade sugar cookies with royal icing—er, check

Glad to hear most everyone is trying to keep the stress out of the holiday equation this year—I think it’s great that we can acknowledge what pushes our buttons such as mom’s perfectionist flare, pushy mother-in-laws or your obnoxious uncle…all it takes is a few deep breaths and a bite of your grandma’s famous pumpkin pie to calm your Christmas!

So today I decided to continue my baking extravaganza(glad you are enjoying all the cookies!!)and wanted to make sugar cookies from scratch. When I was younger, we’d always buy either the refrigerated Pillsbury logs of premade dough or the Betty Crocker mix in a pouch. So I could never say I have made them from scratch, but since I am a fan of making everything else from scratch, I figured why not? Then came the challenge of deciding on which recipe to make. Ohh the sugar cookies out there—they all looked delicious, but I finally settled with this one.

Annie’s Eat’s Sugar Cookies

Here’s what lured me into these:

• Powdered sugar replaces granulated sugar which makes for a fluffier and melt-in-your mouth result.
• The pairing of almond extract and vanilla extract combine for a perfect sugar cookie taste!!

So I rolled and I cut with numerous holiday cookie cutters..

So far, so good..

Then I baked and let em’ cool..

Lovely!

Then I nibbled a bit..

Outstanding—much better than store bought obviously!

And then, all of the beautiful pictures of sugar cookies with perfect royal icing started calling my name.

I have never worked with royal icing (recipe I used here)but I figured why not hit two birds with one stone.

So again I mixed, measured, and colored…

Couldn’t seem to get the exact consistency, but I figured what the heck, just keep going!

Grabbed the paintbrush and began the decorating.

Did about half and they turned out semi-ok.

I lost patience and figured I’d rather eat some more then mess around—at least they tasted delicious!

Me losing patience in the kitchen?!

Yes, it’s still me don’t worry—but I can officially say I’ve met something that can kick my butt in the kitchen. I can push some Hershey’s kisses in cookies, add a billion things, but to sit and precisely decorate—I think I will have to pull a scrooge folks!!

Still try these cookies plain though, they’re great!

What turns you into a scrooge when it comes to being in the kitchen?